A Healthy New Year To You!!

Well, the past 3-4 weeks have been fraught with doctor appointments and medical testing. I guess we are as close to answers as we're going to get. John had an attack of "pericarditis" on Dec. 23, brought on by a stricture at the base of his esophagas, as near as we can tell. The endoscopy showed a narrowed sphincter that had to be stretched, and the doctor surmised that it contributed to the horrible spasm John had in December. We are told that "pericarditis" can be the result of trauma or just non-traceable. He is feeling much better, thank goodness!! A few polyps were removed from the stomach, but were of little consequence. Now to get us both on the "healthy train"!! My head cold has hung on like a long-lost friend; trust me, it was not that!!

I guess we are getting our minds ready to figure our taxes. They are so much easier to do now, but it is still easy to procrastinate! We just feel so blessed to be able to meet our bills and carry no debt.

Our warm January is teasing me...are we going to get slammed with cold and snow in February??
That remains to be seen. One thing worth looking forward to is our upcoming trip to the northwest to visit with family there. We need a break and it should be fun to get away from our health issues!!

It is sure enjoyable for me to teach piano. I just really enjoy my students. They are each so individual, smart, and special. I am honored that their parents will share them with me. I am happy to report that I am teaching three grand-daughters in that mix. They are so unique in personality and seem
to enjoy music. John and I enjoy taking the older ones to concerts; there are many free ones in the city.

Well, on to the work for today...may health be with us all!!

What!?! A New Year Already??

Where, oh, where did December go? We had so many great activities and a few challenges during the month. We loved attending the annual Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert with Mike and Katie...and the Little America dinner beforehand! What a night!! It was wonderful, but bone-cold!! We had to walk a couple of blocks to ride the Trax, so we all felt the chill of the night.

We were happy to have the little McKea children for a sleepover on Thanksgiving night. That allowed all of us to sleep while the crazy people shopped all night. Pancakes and decorating the tree were our activities. It was fun to have their enthusiastic help!! Thanks, kids!

Just before the big day, Gordon flew in to help us celebrate. We had his room all ready for him. We tried to help him have a good time with some baking, candy-making, hanging with the family and going on drives and visits. Katie's birthday was the usual fun celebration with the addition of a sealing at the Salt Lake Temple for Titan to his family - Dan and Annie. We didn't get to go to the sealing because we
spent about ten hours in the hospital. John had an attack of great pain and we needed to be sure it wasn't a heart attack. Near as I can figure, it may have been pericarditis....which still needs to be confirmed. Actually, we are still seeing the doctors for treatment and tests....

We went over to Mike and Katie's for pizza and the New Year; we cheated and left at ten, coming home for bed! I understand the little ones were up later than Grandma and Grandpa and they saw some exciting fireworks!!

So there it is - a busy December that just flew into 2012!! Happy New Year To One And All!!